Himanshu Patel
Five years back, it’s a scene of the on-demand economy, which no one had ever imagined that it will grow by eight folds just in the matter of less than a decade.
The on-demand economy is expected to reach $435 billion in 2021, with an annual growth rate of 49%.
The pandemic times had brought a steep growth in the on-demand delivery services. The quality services given in this time by the delivery service providers has created a long-lasting impression on the customers, that’s expected to stay for the long run. However, this interesting phase requires on-demand solutions to offer top-notch services through innovative tweaks.
There is no harm in trying unique tactics to continuously engage the customers, but there are certain things that customers expect in as-is condition and don’t want the delivery service providers to play with them. It’s witnessed from Uber, Postmates, Airbnb, and Instacart’s business models that have redefined customer experiences but not hampered the delivery models even during difficult times to stay profitable.
Realizing its benefit in the favor of business owners that even resonate with customers, here are the top delivery features that new entrepreneurs looking to start a new on-demand venture should consider. Let’s dive in!
Free shipping
It’s a big bet to place because it costs a huge to the businesses. However, the customers drift to the other services without thinking much, if they are getting free delivery services. You can think about this- if it stays within your budget.
Some businesses have set a flat fee for all types of orders, and some have created the delivery fee structure based on the distance. For instance, the DoorDash app allows the restaurants to update the delivery, which is estimated based on the restaurant’s distance from the customers’ location.
It’s not essential to keep the free shipping as customers ready to pay for the services that they are getting from the comfort of the sofa. But, one thing is sure, they will not think twice when they receive the same service for free. Make the decision intelligently.
Expedited deliveries
It’s an age of instant gratification, where people expect the same-day delivery or delivery in an hour, else they look further. Remember Amazon Prime meets the needs with one-day delivery and Uber Eats that enables delivery in an hour. For most of the grocery delivery or food delivery needs, people expect the deliveries in less than a day, so such apps need to plan the deliveries accordingly.
There are some product deliveries such as milk, vegetables, or other things that customers schedule that they need recurringly. This form of delivery already keeps the customer informed about the delivery. On the other hand, there are delivery services that are dependent on the delivery stores, so they provide the schedules accordingly and the customers have to wait till that time.
What’s more? The scheduled orders under subscription packages are increasing customer loyalty and retention.
Maintain reliability and consistency
Often, during grocery deliveries, we have found that items are missing due to unavailability, and they are substituted with another item of a different brand or a completely new item. It’s embarrassing. But it never stops us from mobile grocery ordering. Right? The reason behind it is- reliability.
When the store performs such things, the customers are asked what to do if the item is unavailable- shall the app remove the item or substitute it with another. The options for the specific lines of products appeal the customers because it gives a feel of offline shopping. Also, there is an option to directly connect with the provider to make the decisions accordingly.
Keep returns free
Rewind your tape a few decades back- when online delivery makes the way to the world, the first thing that makes people reluctant for online shopping is- return risk. Keeping the return policies flexible and in the favor of customers doesn’t make them hesitate to use your app. In the US, the on-demand services often stick a printed free return label on the package while sending the orders so that UPS can easily picked-up the return order.
In food delivery services, such policy can’t be implemented because the customers can’t return a burrito if they don’t like its taste. 😊 It’s a good fit for the Ecommerce players where it’s difficult to ensure that a particular brand’s product would be a perfect fit or not. Again, the returns are kept free.
Make it easy
The lifeblood of delivery services is- ease of use. That’s the reason the customers are ready to pay extra dollars for convenience. From placing the order to the unexpected returns, every activity must be as easy as ABC.
Don’t mandate the users to register or sign in for creating an account, or don’t keep the registration form with several fields, which deters the users from using your app. Provide multiple payment methods, save numerous addresses, or star the preferences that enable seamless checkout. For easy returns, everything is explained.
When you keep things easy, they don’t confuse the customers, and later, you won’t muddle why the customers left the app with the abandoned cart.
You can’t forget COVID-19, then how the safety measures and sanitization practices
Corona vaccine is introduced in the market that has minimized the infection rate, but the situation is still not restored to pre-pandemic levels. To keep things under control, the on-demand delivery services should comply with COVID-19 sanitization practices followed by zero-contact deliveries. We have seen the delivery agents wearing masks and gloves during the complete delivery cycle that must continue.
Conclusion
This is a golden period for the on-demand delivery business in a time when the whole world is experiencing an economic downfall. And saying- on-demand businesses have become an integral part of people’s life won’t be hyperbole. When customers placing immense trust in the on-demand services, it’s a top priority for the delivery service providers to keep all things in mind and let the world pass this time with utmost convenience and comfort.
